Research and Ice Cream
by Captain Vox
Summary: Alexis comes home with news from Grad school and finds support in someone she's admired for a while now. M for later chapters. ON HOLD
1. Surprise Visit

(Had some inconsistencies so fixed some stuff, timing issues mostly. Not summer, almost Christmas. End of first semester of Masters Degree. Also, going to call them by first names, not last.)

Stepping out of her blue Infiniti G convertible, top up in the cool early winter weather, Alexis looked up at the precinct's high windows. She hadn't told her father, Beckett, or anyone that she'd be home from her first year of Grad school this early. She'd given her father a false finals schedule so she could surprise him. There was a lot to tell him about this last month and Alexis wasn't sure she was completely ready for it yet.

Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, she tucked her keys into her coat pocket and strode across the street to the coffee shop. A little pick-me-up could calm her nerves and not ruin the surprise she had. Pushing open the door she heard the tinkling of the bell above her, announcing her entrance. Smiling at the young man behind the counter she stepped in and up to the cash register, void of anyone in line thankfully.

"And what can I get for you?" The dark haired boy behind the counter looked to be in high school still, and his eyes were roaming a little too much.

Ignoring it for now, Alexis spoke up, "A macchiato please. Venti."

The boy nodded, typed it in, and asked for a few dollars and some change.

"Alexis?"

The voice was familiar and made Alexis pause, the money still half-tucked in her wallet. She turned and found herself staring into bright baby blues. "Oh, Ryan! I didn't know you- is my dad here?" she looked around suddenly nervous, not yet ready to spring the surprise on him.

Kevin Ryan glanced over his shoulder where her frantic eyes were darting too. "No, he's up at the board with Beckett. What are you doing here? Castle was just complaining that you wouldn't be back for another two weeks."

Alexis smiled brightly, a strand of red hair trilling down from the grasp of the pony-tail. "I wanted to surprise him."

A boyish chuckle left Kevin and he stepped up to the counter, pulling out his wallet. "Here, let me." He handed over the money to the boy who was now glaring at the detective. Kevin lifted a brow at him but didn't say anything more. Kevin picked the two coffees he'd been holding back up.

"You really shouldn't have…" Alexis rolled up on her toes, smile still brightly clinging to her lips. Clasping the wallet and tucking it away again she glanced briefly to see the boy getting her coffee set and then looked back at Ryan. Her heart fluttered as he smiled back down at her. He'd always been something wonderful to look at.

Kevin shook his head, "Don't worry about it, college girl. Your father may be rich but I'm still polite."

Alexis laughed lightly and nodded. "Fair enough. So where's your partner?" she asked noticing finally that Javier Esposito wasn't with Kevin.

"Uh, taking a closer look at a body." Kevin rolled his eyes. "Ditching me for Lanie, really."

"Oh, but they're cute." Alexis turned when her macchiato was set down and thanked the boy. Picking it up, Alexis thread her arm through Kevin's and urged him gently towards the door. "Be a gentleman and escort up to my father, detective?" she asked playfully.

"It would be my pleasure to escort someone as pretty as you inside." He opened the door and allowed her out first. "Normally it's some hulking, smelly guy that I'm leading in."

Alexis looked at him with a frown. "That is no way to talk about Esposito!" she said with narrowed eyes. It slipped away too quickly though and she was trying to smother a laugh with her coffee filled hand.

Kevin laughed along with her as they strolled towards the road. He stepped off of the curb then stopped her suddenly with a push back of his shoulder as a car quickly turned a corner right where they were going to cross. He looked quickly down at Alexis to make sure she was alright from the jarring halt.

She was waltzing her coffee cup around, but otherwise still laughing. "Thanks. I do believe you just saved my life."

"Mm, don't be so dramatic." He leaned down and whispered with a grin, "You'll start to sound like your father."

This time the frown on her face looked almost genuine. "Well, if it improves my writing, I hope so."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were taking science classes…"

"I was…I graduated with two Bachelors, Chemistry and English." She sighed heavily and slouched her shoulders. "Now I don't know if this is good or bad news."

They stopped on the other side of the road, near the door to the precinct. "What do you mean? I didn't mean to sound rude, I was only teasing. Writing obviously did your father well." Kevin extracted his arm from hers, turning so he could look at her better.

Alexis looked up at him, scratching the back of her neck with her freed hand. Then she tugged her hair down and sipped her coffee, obviously feeling fidgety. "It's not you. It's me, and dad. I have an opportunity at research for my first year in grad school. First years don't get that, but I managed to and I don't know if he'll understand." She shook her head and sipped her slightly too warm coffee again.

Kevin frowned, pursing his lips and setting confused lines across his forehead. Alexis had to admit, the puzzled look made him look all the more handsome.

She reached up to smooth his forehead, "You'll get worry lines if you keep that up."

"Sorry, I'm just not quite following." He opened the precinct door. "Perhaps this is more of a 'you and dad' talk?"

Alexis sighed and walked in, her shoulders slumping once more. "I suppose it is. Upstairs?"

"Yeah, I'm headed there, too."

Kevin led her to the elevator and they stepped inside. It was an awkward silence that followed, the only noise coming from their shifting or the little ding as the elevator passed each floor. When they got to theirs, Alexis stepped off first.

Her father was there, sitting in the chair he seemed to occupy every time she came around. His back was to her so she was able to walk briskly and sneak up on him. Beckett had only given her a glance then entrapped her dad in a conversation. Thank God for that woman; she understood a lot of Alexis.

Stepping up to the chair and setting the coffee on the desk, Alexis wrapped her arms around her father and covered his eyes with her hands. "Guess who?" she asked happily.

"Alexis! What are you doing here?" Rick Castle stood up and turned to look at her. "I thought you still had exams. You're not skipping are you? Of course not, you wouldn't do that but-"

"Dad…dad!" She sad amidst his ranting. "I gave you a fake schedule." She laughed and was swept up quickly into a hug. Her feet came off the ground a bit and she wiggled to get out of his bear hug.

He let her go and looked down with a big, childish smile. "If you weren't going to be a chemist, you'd make a good cop."

Alexis froze, her smile starting to fade, and she looked down at the ground. "Um, yeah we should talk about that. A lot has happened this last month, dad."

Castle frowned momentarily then looked around. "Kate, can we use the meeting room?"

Kate looked between the two then nodded, "Yeah go ahead. Hey, it's nice to see you Alexis. You're looking really good."

Turning an appreciative look to Kate, Alexis straightened her shirt. "Thank you. It's nice to see you, too. We'll talk when I'm done with him, okay? A lot of catching up to do."

"Yes we do." Kate smiled warmly and watched them walk away.

Kevin came over to the desks, having stayed back in case they'd wanted privacy to talk there. "She's something, isn't she?" he asked watching Alexis and Rick go into the room.

Kate looked at Kevin with a smile at first which faded to a contemplative look and a raised eyebrow. Kevin was still looking in Alexis direction so didn't notice. "Yeah, she is. So you get any leads or just coffee?"

Kevin blinked and looked back at Kate. "Oh, just coffee. Here, I brought you one, too." He handed her a cup and went over to his seat. "I'll run the phone records now that we have the phone back."

"Alright," Kate said taking a tentative sip. When she found it to be her style and not Javier's she took a longer drink of it. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Yeah, no problem."


	2. First Move

(A/N: Had to fix some inconsistencies from the last chapter. Hopefully they're all resolved. If anyone picks up time/setting inconsistencies, feel free to tell me and I'll get them fixed up! Thanks for the reviews and favorites, by the by. Some of you have private messaging disabled so I couldn't thank you personally, but I appreciate the reviews, I really do.

Also, some more mature themes will be coming through in this chapter, just a heads up.)

Alexis sat across from her father in the conference room and folded her hands in front of her atop the table. Her big blue eyes blinked a few times and she took a breath, pink painted lips parting and then moving wordlessly. She looked down, not sure she wanted to talk about this with him right now. She'd wanted to relish the surprise of being home for a while longer, not jump into the serious stuff. Besides, she was twenty-two and could make a rational life choice on her own. She didn't need his approval for every chess move in her life.

Rick reached across the table and closed the gap between them by placing a large hand over her clasped ones. "Alexis, I've put a lot of responsibility on you for years. You've never exactly broken that trust." He smiled a little. "I'm sure all of the changes are just fine."

Taking a deep breath, Alexis nodded. "I have a chance to research this next semester. First year, dad. It's big for me and I couldn't pass it up." She smiled, that little quirk of lips that put a dimple to her cheek.

"Well that's great. Why is that bad?" He searched her face for the answer.

It made Alexis feel self-conscious again. She shifted but didn't pull her hands from her father's. It gave her some comfort, the warmth between them. "Well, it sort of changes my major."

Rick only blinked at her.

Sighing in frustration, she dove right in. "It's research for writing. I get to work with a specialist in their research for journalism, not science. I get to travel with the professor and we'll actually be here. She has two degrees, criminology and journalism and when I mentioned you work with the police, she figured that was our in. She wants to come here and have me blog on the Precinct, get the real behind the scenes piece going."

"Wait…" Rick started to draw his hand away but stopped, rubbing his thumb across the back of Alexis' hand instead. "You're going to be a journalist?"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Not exactly, that's just one part of my curriculum. I'm going to be a writer. Like you."

Rick shook his head. "You don't know how hard it is. I'm lucky I got this famous. This doesn't happen for everyone and what if you don't publish? You don't always get published. It took me four books before someone looked at my stuff seriously. It's not a steady job if you're not already-"

"This is what I was afraid of. I knew I shouldn't bring it up." Alexis pulled her hands away and sat back in the chair. She tossed one leg over the other and landed a hard stare at her father. "Dad, I already have an article in the paper in town, I have a critical essay in the journal for the school, and I have a short story that's going to be published in an online journal of creative work."

"You do? Why didn't you tell me?" Rick drew his hand back and frowned, drawing close to the table, closer to his daughter.

Alexis smiled. "I have a copy of the journal ordered for you. It was going to be here at Christmas as one of your gifts."

Rick frowned. "Oh, sorry I ruined the surprise." He sighed and sat back, fiddling his thumbs as he looked down at them contemplatively. "Well, if you do suck at writing I guess I'll just have you and your grandmother in my house forever."

Alexis gasped audibly and leaned forward on the table between them. "I've always been the one to correct your writing. I will only ever be as bad as you," she grinned.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Rick quirked an eyebrow and a side smile. "Alright, if it's what you really want to do, I'm sure you'll be good at it." He stood up suddenly and came around the table to her, looking down with pouty lips and crinkled eyebrows. "Laser tag and sundaes tonight?"

"Absolutely," Alexis said with a laugh and stood up to hug her father.

The two walked back out of the room, now both in higher spirits. Rick had his arm wrapped around her shoulders and Alexis looked up at him with a soft smile, tension now practically gone from her. She had a bit more to tell him of course, but that could wait until they got home. Rick and Alexis came over to where Kate, Javier, and Kevin were standing at the board. They were in conversation about something Javier had gathered from Lanie and what Kevin picked up off of the phone records. Alexis listened intently, wondering if she'd soon be part of the crew since she'd be working at the precinct in a month's time. Well, as long as it was approved by the chief, mayor, and President of the school.

"Hey, Alexis is back!" Javier turned with a toothy grin. "How is grad school so far?" He folded his arms over his chest and glanced from Rick to Alexis.

Alexis looked back and shrugged her shoulders. "So far so good. I'm taking on journalism research next semester."

"I thought Castle said you were doing science." Javier glared accusingly at Rick who held up his arms in mock defeat.

Alexis chuckled and drew his attention back to her. "I _was_ but I changed my mind when I got picked for the writing research. I was trying to double major there like I did in undergrad." Now that Rick had pulled his arm off her shoulders, Alexis stood a little taller and straightened her shirt and jacket. Her eyes flickered to Kate, looking for a reaction. The woman had been almost like a sister to her at times- they'd grown closer than even her father knew.

Kate was giving her an approving look, one of slight astonishment, pursed lips and slightly wider eyes. Her arms were crossed under her chest, a folder clasped in one hand. Alexis thought the tight turtleneck and dark blue jeans paired with the heels made her look beautiful. Sometimes, though she didn't admit it out loud, Alexis was jealous of how beautiful Kate was. She saw how everyone looked at the Detective, with wonder and awe, and craved that every now and then. Especially now that she was getting older and it was more acceptable for people to look at Alexis that way.

* * *

><p>Kevin Ryan was back at his desk after the little reunion. He watched Rick and Alexis walking off for lunch and turned his eyes back to his work. He had to track down a phone number that popped up quite often and just before the time of death on their victim. He was a little distracted though, checking his phone again and again for a text from Jenny. Things had been strained the last few months, ever since she'd handed him the ring back. The cancelled wedding had been tough enough for him but he didn't think she'd go as far as giving the ring back.<p>

Kevin thought he knew what it was about- his strong commitment to work- but he couldn't be completely sure. She hadn't really been up for talking about it, merely stating that she needed time and a little space to get back the feeling they had at the beginning. Kevin understood, sometimes, and tried to do the little things like he had their first couple of years of dating. The roses on the pillow, chocolates at work, home cooked meals on her late nights were just a few of the tricks he was pulling, and gladly none-the-less, but none of it seemed to work towards getting those feelings back. He supposed people just fell out of love as much as they fell into it.

He sighed and picked up his phone, needing to make a call to get the information on the phone number.

Work dragged on slowly and Kevin was very happy to be walking out at a little after five that afternoon. A cold beer in the fridge had his name on it and probably another long conversation with Jenny that really just consisted of Kevin blabbering about the "remembers" and "had beens". Needless to say, it was the beer that had him excited.

Slinging a carrier bag across his chest, Kevin pushed his chair in and headed for the elevator. His jacket was carelessly draped over an arm and blue eyes were unfocused as he made his way out to his car. The drive home he blared some Story of Sound and Asteria, nodding out to the odd lyrics and unevenly paced instrumentals. His car was in the apartment parking lot before he realized it and he was loath to shut the music off just yet. Sitting idling in a parking spot with the sun setting slowly, Kevin took in a deep breath. Just another night. He was starting to realize why the statistics on police were so negative, and then thought about the beer once more.

Cutting the ignition, Kevin grabbed his bag and jacket, getting his keys from the ignition and climbed out. He passed the doorman with a nod and smile then started the climb up the stairs. It was another stalling tactic- four flights of stairs over the elevator- and he was very aware of the fact. Getting to his door, he stuck the keys in and unlocked it. He stepped into lights drowning from the living room and kitchen. There were sounds of things moving around and a feminine grunt.

"Jenny?" he called out and put his keys on the little stand by the door, his bag on the floor next to it. "What are you doing?"

Kevin moved further into the apartment when he didn't get a response and was met by boxes, bags, and rearranged furniture. Jenny was in the midst of it all, shoving a photo album into a trash bag. "Hey, what's going on?" He moved quickly over to her, reaching in and pulling the album back out.

Jenny stood up, wiped sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, and blinked green eyes at him. "I'm going through our stuff. We need to talk about living arrangements, Kevin."

"I, uh, kinda like our living arrangements." He cocked an eyebrow and pulled the album back in his hands, resting it against the side of his hip.

"Well, I don't anymore. I'm moving in with my sister, giving us some space to think out everything." She turned her eyes to the album and frowned but didn't make a move to take it from him. "This isn't what it used to be, Kevin and we both know it."

Kevin rolled his eyes and slouched his shoulders. "Only because you won't let it be."

"Don't put this on me. It's more than just that. You're cute, you always have been, but there's nothing here anymore." She stepped closer, putting her hands on his shoulders and looking up into his eyes. "When was the last time we had any real passion? Any real sex, Kevin?"

His mouth gaped, jawing I a search for an answer and his brows furrowed furiously. "We've had sex nearly every night…"

Jenny barked out a sarcastic laugh. "Right, we've been having sex. That's it. It's all physical now. Mechanical. You didn't even get off."

"I-"

Jenny cocked an eyebrow, hands now on her jutting hips.

"Fine, you're right, the sex isn't anything great anymore." He tossed the photos onto the couch, or where it used to be. They landed with a thud and stepped close, grabbing her hips and pulling her to him. "It could be more. We could have passion again."

She leaned in and captured his lips in a hard kiss, then shoved him back away from her. Kevin tripped back and stared momentarily. He stepped back up and grabbed her upper arms, crushing his lips back on hers, biting at her bottom lip. He walked her backwards, up against the wall of the living room and his mouth moved down to her neck.

Jenny grabbed at his shirt, ripping open the buttons. She pushed it back off of his shoulders, his bare skin glistening slowly with a building sweat, shirt catching at the crooks of his arms as he kept hold of her.

Kevin pushed her up further, reaching down with one arm to hoist her hips up. He nestled his hips in the nook of her V, grinding them against her. He felt her legs wrap tightly around him and he pressed harder against her, his erection taut and hardening faster.

Grabbing his hair, Jenny jerked his head back and put her own teeth to the soft skin where his shoulder met his neck, the sweet skin above the collar bone. He gasped under her bite and leaned more of his weight against her torso.

Kevin's freed a hand from her hips and stuffed it between them, lifting her skirt and ripping away the lacy panties she wore. He managed to work his fly down and hefted her a little higher, ripping her mouth from his neck. She tossed her head back as he slid into her. They both growled and arched their backs, coming together hot and quick. He rocked his hips in a fast rhythm, friction building a heat between them and growing inside.

Jenny slapped him but Kevin only worked harder inside of her, feeling her muscles clenching around him. They both came quickly and dragged away from each other without lingering.

Kevin's shirt still hung at his arms, his torso bare. He reached down and tucked himself away, zipping his pants back up. His eyes were anywhere but on Jenny.

She was stuffing her skirt back down in place, not bothering with the panties. She looked up at Kevin and tried to catch his eye. She panted, trying to catch her breath. When he wouldn't look she reddened even deeper in the face, beyond the fluster of a raised pulse. "Look at me Kevin Ryan!"

Dragging his eyelashes up from a long blink, Kevin pegged her against the wall again with those intense ice blue eyes. "What?" he asked in a coarse, sex-gritted voice.

"That's what I mean. It's not making love anymore. I'm nothing to you, and you can't even see it." Jenny shook her head, wrapped her arms around her and walked off towards their bedroom. "Our rent contract is up in two days anyway. I'm not resigning."

Kevin needed to find some place to stay. He pulled his shirt back up and buttoned what he could, since some buttons had been ripped off in their haste. Locating his phone in his bag, he stayed in their little hallway inside the door and called Javier first.

"Not a good time, bro, if you know what I mean." Javier's voice was husky, breathless.

"Uh, right. Sorry. Never mind, I'll talk to you tomorrow." Kevin hung up the phone and let his head fall back against the wall behind him. He couldn't move in with Javier- the man had just let Lanie move in. That's not something he wanted to get in the middle of.

He briefly thought of the Captain and shuddered. He scrolled through is phone- newly wed, one bedroom, wife and kids, divorced and kids, wife, and so on. He landed on Kate Beckett and shook his head. He respected the boundaries she had with them and moving in with her, even for a few days, would break that relationship line that they had. He landed on Rick Castle and paused for a beat of his heart. Hitting "send", he called Rick.

"Castle," the man answered.

"Hey man, it's Kevin." He pushed off of the wall and started pacing the small space, glancing towards the rest of the apartment and hoping Jenny wouldn't show herself.

Rick cleared his throat and Kevin could hear a computer chair creek. "What's up?"

Kevin grit his teeth and forced out the question, "I sort of need a place to stay and was wondering if you had a room I could borrow for a few days."

He could almost hear Rick smile on the other end. "Yeah sure, I've got a room. Need help with your stuff or anything?"

Blue eyes glanced towards the living room. "Nah, I've got all that. Thanks man, I really appreciate it. It's okay if I come over tonight?"

"Sure. Be warned though, it's laser tag night so you might be forced into a game." Rick was chuckling on the other end.

Kevin laughed with him lightly, hoping it wouldn't set Jenny off. "That's cool. See you in a bit, and thanks again, Castle."


	3. Accidental Alfredo

Kevin packed up a few essentials, stuffing them into a black duffel bag and one back-pack. He'd come back here and get the rest later. For now, he just needed out and away from Jenny. He couldn't believe what had happened and everything felt surreal as he drove through the city, radio silent, and lights dripping through the windshield to play like strobe lights in his car. Kevin felt slightly dizzy but shook it off and sped up as much as he dared. It wasn't too far to Castle's and traffic was light in the mid-week.

Pulling into the apartment complex's private parking lot, Kevin shut the car off and headed for the front door. He smiled to the doorman, waved a little to the woman in the office, having gotten to know them a bit from the years of visiting Castle. They smiled and waved back.

Kevin knocked on the apartment door and listened carefully, wondering if he was going to be met by lasers and guns or some other expensive toy Castle deemed necessary to have. As much as Kevin was thinking sarcastically, he figured the best part about moving in for a while would be the toys. It was certainly a step up from Madden.

The door was pulled open and there stood Alexis, a book tucked under her arm and a cup of something steaming in the other. The brown sweater she wore had a bulky collar that spilled over her thin shoulders. "Detective Ryan." She eyed his bags. "What are you doing here?" Alexis stepped aside to let him in.

Kevin smiled slightly and stepped in. "Staying here for a few days. Jenny and I- well…" he glanced around. "Where's Castle?"

"Oh," Alexis turned her eyes towards his office. "Writing. I was just going to tell him to hurry up and finish so we could eat and play laser tag." A tinge of red was dashed across her cheeks when she turned back to look at him.

"He threatened to drag me into it as well." Kevin's smile widened into something not so forced and he hefted the backpack higher on his shoulder.

Alexis watched him them became suddenly animated. "Here, let me help." She grabbed at the strap of the backpack and tugged. Kevin released it mostly so she wouldn't spill what was in her mug. "The guest room is upstairs." She stopped by the counter in the kitchen to deposit the drink first.

Kevin followed her up the stairs and down a bit of a hallway. "My room is here and yours will be across the hall…this one." She pushed open a door and stood off to the side so Kevin could go in first.

He waved her in though, standing back until she ducked in. He walked in behind her and looked around. It was large, the bed back against the far wall, a dresser to the side of the doorway, and a large closet stood with the door open. It was a walk-in and already holding hangers. "Whoa," Kevin breathed out.

Alexis turned a smile on him and put the bag down on the bed. "So it's okay for you?"

"Absolutely. Not that I can be picky anyway." He sat the duffel bag on the ground by the dresser and looked out of the window in the room. There were people meandering outside, dipping into open restaurants and bars, and the city lights looked beautiful. Kevin realized suddenly that the disorientation of the sex and fight had left when he'd reached Castle's and he was glad of that. Turning his eyes back to Alexis he watched her for a moment as she straightened the comforter on one corner of the bed and sat the backpack upwards from its fallen position. He felt suddenly self conscious, as if she could just see what he had done with Jenny before coming here."Thank you."

"Hmm?" Alexis turned un-judging eyes over to him. "It's really dad's place, not mine." She shrugged her shoulders, slipping her hands into her pockets.

Kevin smirked, "I know. I meant for helping." He shrugged back and moved towards the door. "How about we go get Castle and play some laser tag?"

"Sounds good." Alexis ducked out of the room and trotted down the stairs. She moved quickly across the foyer and to the office. Rapping on the door lightly at first, she waited.

Coming up behind her, Kevin listened too. When no answer came he reached around her and knocked harder on the door. "Castle?"

There was the sound of a squeaking chair and heavy footfalls to the door. It was pulled open and Rick stood there with a pen tucked behind his ear. Behind him was a board with a murder scene splayed digitally and papers strung across what looked like a clothesline. "Uh, oh! Ryan." He held his hands up as if displaying Kevin. "Right…" Rick turned from them to look over his shoulder at the mess of writing. "Let me just get this cleaned up then I will be right out. Alexis, did you show him to the guest room?"

Alexis smiled and patted her father's shoulder. "Yes, I've got it all covered. I'll make some dinner."

Rick smiled, slowly shutting the door on the widening smile.

Shaking her head, Alexis went towards the kitchen and started rummaging through the fridge and cupboards.

Not sure what he should be doing, Kevin leaned against the counter and watched. "He gets real wrapped up in the writing when he gets going, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, I get that much from him at least. He's got a lot of dedication, you know, buried beneath the five year old with too much money and too many toys." Alexis chuckled, pulling out chicken breasts from the fridge. "Do you like chicken Alfredo?"

Kevin nodded and walked around to sit on one of the stools at the counter. "So what sort of research will you be doing?" He set his arms on the counter, leaning on them.

"Ah, well…" Alexis coughed slightly, nervously. "I may be writing about the Precinct." She blushed and turned back around, preparing the chicken. Her hands worked quickly and delicately.

"Really, how does that work?" Kevin watched her moving about the kitchen and thought it would be quite interesting to have Alexis _and_ Rick around. She may be more help at times than Castle. At least, he assumed, she wouldn't go running into crime scenes and lose the suspect for them, or become the suspect. Certainly they wouldn't let her go to crime scenes. Kevin mentally cringed at the thought that came unbidden, disliking his quick jump to some odd protection of her just because she was a young woman.

Alexis paused with her hands in the air, glancing around the ingredients, and then darted for the cupboard. "Well, I mentioned to a professor that my father worked with you guys and she figured it was good in for a blog." Setting a pan on the stove, Alexis continued. "She wants a real life look into the daily life of police detectives."

Kevin couldn't be sure, but it seemed like she was avoiding turning around and looking at him. "I think that would be great. It's better than those quick humanity pieces about shoot outs and kidnappings. It's not all exciting, heart racing stuff."

She turned with a smile for him. "Exactly. It's much more intricate and this way, personalities can come through. We're not just seeing a uniform, but an actual person." Her tone had become serious, brows furrowed quick like Rick's did when he was discovering the truth behind some murder, one that normally didn't fit his fantasy story.

Kevin smiled and looked down at his hands, intertwining his fingers. He looked back up at Alexis. "Should I be helping you with anything?"

"No, it's fine. You may just end up needing to go get dad." Alexis picked up a jar of Alfredo sauce and turned towards the stove. The jar slipped and crashed on the floor in a shattering of glass and sticky, white sauce. She yelped and jumped back, avoiding getting hit with either glass or sauce. "Damn it!" Alexis stomped her foot.

Jumping up quickly, Kevin made his way around the counter and over to Alexis, pushing her back a bit. "Here, let me." He bent down and grabbed the large pieces of glass, stacking them in his hand. "Can you wet some paper towels?"

"Sure." Alexis grabbed a handful and stuck them under the faucet briefly. Stepping over to him, she handed him the wet wad of paper.

"Garbage?" Kevin asked eyeing the vicinity of the kitchen.

"Under the sink," she said pointing to it.

"Thanks." He chucked out the glass, wiped up the floor with some of the towels, then patted the rest of the towels around to pick up any leftover pieces of glass. All the while he could feel Alexis at his back, watching and fidgeting.

She sighed heavily when he was done, frowning deeply. "That was all of the Alfredo we had."

Kevin cocked an eyebrow. "Have you ever made it from scratch? I can show you how."

"Really?" Her face lit up with the news and she stood up taller, sticking her thumbs into her pockets.

"Yeah, sure. It's not that hard. Here…" Kevin rummaged through the kitchen now and grabbed everything he need. "First we need pan for the flour." He was rolling up the sleeves of his button-down.

Alexis grabbed him a pan and handed it over, standing next to him in front of the stove. He turned it on, put the pan down and smiled at her. He cut off a hunk of butter from the stick and tossed it in the pan. Forking it around the pan to melt it more evenly Kevin pointed at the flour. "Can you measure out about a third of a cup of flour? I think that's right… I don't normally measure things." He chuckled a little.

Picking up a measuring cup and the bag of flour, Alexis knocked into his shoulder lightly. "I didn't peg you as the chef type."

"Oh, I'm full of surprises." Kevin grinned and stirred the butter. He offered the pan over to Alexis so she could add in the floor. "Mind taking over the stirring for a sec?"

She took hold of the pan and spoon and started stirring it.

Kevin was searching the fridge for some Mozzarella and Romano cheese. He pulled them out and looked over at Alexis. The flour was sticking to the spoon and edges of the pan. He smiled softly and set the things down. "Here, like this." He stepped up behind her and grabbed the handle and spoon over her hands. He tilted the pan and stirred it up faster, helping her with a circular, quick motion. "There." He stepped back, the heat of her slowly dissipating from him.

Alexis let out a breath and glanced back at him, a couple of red ringlets falling in front of her face. "Thanks," she whispered.

He gave her a nod and got the rest of the Alfredo stuff ready, shredding the cheese, adding the herbs, and waiting for the flour and butter to cook a little. When it was just starting to sizzle, he moved over with the bowl of ingredients and added them in, letting Alexis continue to stir. Kevin stepped back again to watch her fix up the dish herself. "See, not so hard."

"Yeah, it smells good already, too." Alexis dipped her head over it, inhaling deeply as she stirred the contents together. "So just wait for the cheese to melt then?"

"Mhm. You can add a little white wine as well, if you have some."

"What are we adding wine to?" Rick had appeared from his writing room, holding up top of the line laser tag gear.

Alexis turned around with a spoon covered in sauce. "Alfredo for the chicken! Detective Ryan showed me how to make it from scratch."

Rick turned to Kevin with raised eyebrows. "I should have figured you'd be the one to know how to cook. If it's good maybe I'll let you live here."

"Uh, thanks Castle but I think I'll take my own place." Kevin smiled at him, folding his arms over his chest.

"Whatever you say; but your own place won't have these." He hefted the laser tag vests and turned away with them, as if emphasizing Kevin's lack of them. Castle put them on a table in the living room then came back and took up a spot on a stool.

Kevin sat next to him and shot him a concerned look. "I really only intend on being here a few days, Rick. I don't mean to impose but I didn't know where else to go. My rent contract is up in just a few days and Jenny…" He looked down at his hands on the counter top, forehead crinkled in contemplative lines.

Rick leaned over, clapped Kevin on the shoulder. "It's not a big deal, really. Plus this place has been quiet for a while now. I'm really just welcoming the company."

Kevin couldn't help but smile, his whole body relaxing some. "Well, thanks. I appreciate it."

"You're cooking while you're here, though, if I can't keep you as a personal chef forever then you'll be one while you're staying here." Rick bumped Kevin's shoulder with his own, waggling his eyebrows playfully.

"Yeah, right," Kevin snickered. "I like being a cop too much to give it up and play house wife for you. I've seen what happens to your wives." Lowering his voice and leaning closer he added, "Plus I'm not crazy enough. If you're into deep fried twinkie, you gotta look elsewhere bro."

Rick laughed loudly and Kevin joined in, until Alexis turned around with hands planted on her hips. "If you two are finished, would you get some plates please? Dinner's ready."


End file.
